PRESS ROUND-UP

Fresh twist in Sally Clark case stirs media passions

The campaign to free solicitor Sally Clark - jailed for murdering her two baby boys - is gaining momentum with the news that the Court of Appeal will

re-examine the case later this year.

Almost all the broadsheets covered the decision prominently, with The Guardian claiming that 'detailed new evidence revealed today by The Guardian may help to free a solicitor serving a life sentence for killing her babies' (July 3).

This 'crucial new evidence' is a 'previously undisclosed microbiology report' which shows 'at the least, a potential natural cause of death to which the consultant pathologist at the trial made no reference'.

The original trial in 1999 was told that no blood tests had been carried out on Harry, Ms Clark's second son who died aged eight weeks, and so 'the Clark family, like the jury, was left with the impression that no tests had been done'.

However, 'it now seems that the pathologist had carried out tests', results of which arrived on solicitor husband Stephen Clark's desk earlier this year after two years of requesting the records from Macclesfield hospital.

The media certainly seem to be on-side, with The Times describing the case as 'one of the worst miscarriages of justice of the past decade' (3 July).

The Independent called it 'infamous' (July 8) and The Guardian said it was 'one of the most controversial in recent criminal history' (July 3).

The papers were almost impressed by the appointment of outgoing MI5 director-general Sir Stephen Lander as the Law Society's first independent commissioner (see [2002] Gazette, 4 July, 4).

Or 'MI5 chief to spy on solicitors', as The Sun's headline had it (2 July).

Sir Stephen's new job, which The Independent pointed out 'may be no less challenging than MI5', will involve 'a thorough investigation of the Law Society's handling of complaints' (The Guardian, 2 July).

Fortunately, given his role, keeping things totally secret is no longer the MI5 way.

The Independent said that while at the top of the security services, he 'has continued to pursue the more open policy favoured by his predecessor, Dame Stella Rimington', and in a rare public pronouncement last month, 'encouraged members of the public to give information on terrorism to MI5's new hotline'.

While some organisations are bringing in fresh blood and ringing the changes, some things remain the same.

Claims Direct, 'the ailing personal injury specialist' (Financial Times, 2 July), is in trouble yet again: last week it 'warned that it needed further cash after it sold three non-trading subsidiaries for 2.9 million after costs'.

The company, which 'said last year that it was trying to improve its cash position by recovering some of the 10.4 million it was owed by debtors', has warned that it faces losses of 22 million before tax this year.

It blames 'lower than expected numbers of new compensation cases' - it has to accept 2,000 cases a month to break even, but during the winter 'was understood to be taking on 1,000 a month' - and a delay in the launch of its revised insurance policy for clients.

Some shareholders, perhaps understandably, 'are questioning how quickly the business can be turned around'.

Finally, sad news this week with the death of criminal solicitor turned campaigning journalist Gary Jacobs, famed for his 'Justice with Jacobs' column in The Mirror and many other media appearances.

Mr Jacobs, who died of a heart attack after suffering ill-health for some time, 'dispensed his own fiery brand of advice, and would often call the rich and powerful in person to put the case of a reader he felt had been wronged' (The Mirror, 3 July).

One reader wrote to the paper to express his sadness: 'It is rare to find someone who was as willing to point out a correspondent's stupidity as to pursue shysters and cheats.

The world feels a less straightforward and more dishonest place for his passing.'

Victoria MacCallum